Will be updated.
Paul Wilson, of Jefferson City, has been appointed by Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon to fill the vacancy on the Missouri Supreme Court.
Following Judge William Ray Price, Jr.'s departure from the Court, a field of applicants to replace him was first narrowed to three, and included, along with Wilson, Mike Manners of Lee's Summit and Stan Wallach, of Kirkwood.
“Paul Wilson has stood before both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Missouri Supreme Court to represent the state of Missouri in cases on legal issues as diverse as federalism, the conversion of non-profit assets, school funding, and the constitutionality of actions by the General Assembly,” Gov. Nixon said in a statement. “He has demonstrated, time and again, both his ability and his dedication to serving the people of Missouri, and I am very pleased to be able to name him to the state’s highest court.”
It's also worth noting that Wilson used to work for the Missouri Attorney General's office from 1996 to 2008, including when Nixon held the post.
Here's a quick snapshot of Wilson:
Professional experience:
- Currently a member of Columbia law firm Van Matre, Harrison, Hollis, Taylor & Bacon.
- Appointed to bench at 19th Judicial Circuit in Cole County by Gov. Nixon in 2010
- As we mentioned above, from 1996 to 2008, Wilson was with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, first as an Assistant Attorney General and then as Deputy Chief of Staff for Litigation.
- Was senior counsel for budget and finance and as director for the Transform Missouri Project, during 2008 to 2010.
- Was in private practice with the law firm of Sullivan and Cromwell in New York.
- Clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and for Missouri Supreme Court Justice Edward D. Robertson Jr.
Education:
- Undergraduate degree from Drury University
- University of Missouri School of Law, 1992 (first in his class)
Personal:
- Law runs in the family: Wilson is the son of Lorna Wilson and the late Cole County Associate Circuit Judge McCormick Wilson.
- Born and raised in Jefferson City, Mo.
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